Understanding Your Fear of Germs and Mysophobia

The Fear of Germs and Mysophobia: What You Need to Know

Many popular television characters exhibit symptoms of mysophobia, which is a fear of germs. Dr. Niles Crane on Frasier, Emma Pillsbury on Glee, and of course Monk from Monk, all exhibit the characteristics of this phobia. But while it can be played for comic effect in these sitcoms, mysophobia is no laughing matter. The fear of germs, which can also be called germophobia and bacteriophobia, can impact a person’s entire life. If you suffer from mysophobia, read on for more specifics about this fear and what can be done to control it or even overcome it so that you can live a full and happy life.

What is Mysophobia?

Mysophobia is a fear of germs so intense and pathological that it dominates a person’s life. The term was first coined in 1879 by Dr. William Alexander Hammond as he observed a patient with obsessive-compulsive disorder repeatedly wash his hands. With mysophobia, a person is so afraid of germs and contamination that he will likely develop a set of ritualistic manners that will make him feel “safe” when dealing with germs.

Who Does Mysophobia Effect and Why?

Mysophobia can affect anyone at any stage in life. However, it seems to be more prevalent in the Western world, particularly in the United States. Some experts feel that this can be traced to a widespread fear of the AIDS virus, while others link it’s to a unique fear that the world is a more chaotic place. Some experts feel that the rise in popularity of consumer products, such as hand sanitizer and disposable toilet seat covers, are contributing to the growth of mysophobia among American consumers.

Mysophobia, like many phobias, can usually be traced as a response to a single traumatic incident in a person’s life. It can be triggered by something the person experiences first-hand or by something he observes such as a scene in a movie. People who develop mysophobia may already have a tendency to obsess or worry, and may be predisposed to anxiety and depression.

How Does Mysophobia Effect People’s Lives?

People with mysophobia will likely develop a complex set of rituals that create a feeling that a situation is safe. For example, they may have a certain manner in which they wash and prepare food to eat. This ritual assures them that all the germs have been killed and that the food is safe to eat. People with mysophobia often forego social situations in which they feel they will not be able to control germs. They will also likely avoid dining out in restaurants or in any place they feel they cannot control the preparation of food. As a result, mysophobia can have a very isolating effect on a person’s life.

Complications of Mysophobia

Mysophobia rarely exists on its own. Usually a person with mysophobia develops it as a response to other fears. Or a person may develop a fear of germs first, and then a host of other fears as the phobia progresses.

One of the most common fears linked to mysophobia is a fear of food, also known as cibophobia. People who develop cibophobia usually develop an intense fear of the pathogens that food might carry. Another common fear linked to mysophobia is emetophobia, which is the fear of throwing up. A person with emetophobia is so worried about vomiting, or vomiting in public, that they think about it constantly and arrange their entire lives around it.

The most devastating complication of mysophobia is anorexia nervosa. A person who has developed an intense fear of germs as well as any other complicating factor, such as a fear of food or of throwing up, may stop eating as a response. If you develop anorexia as a response to a fear of germs, you should consult with a physician without delay. Anorexia is a serious illness that requires expert treatment. It can be fatal if not addressed or treated by an expert.

Myths about Mysophobia

One of the most common misconceptions about mysophobia is that it can be overcome by sheer willpower. To a person who has a fear of germs, the fear is overpowering and cannot simply be put aside. Making light of the condition will not cause the person to get better. Instead, ridicule and shame can drive their behavior “underground,” making it worse. Confronting the fear in a factual manner and dealing with it through proven self-help techniques is the best way to get rid of it forever.

Using Self-Help to Treat Mysophobia

There are three common treatments for mysophobia: medication, exposure therapy, and self-help techniques that induce relaxation. Among mysophobes, compliance with taking medication such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications is low. Many fear that the medications could carry germs, or if the person suffers from emetophobia, that the medication could trigger vomiting.

Exposure therapy involves exposing the person with a phobia to the very thing that triggers the phobia. This can, in time, desensitize a person so she no longer has the same intense fear to the situation. In the case of mysophobes, that would mean exposing them to situations that show germs. However, compliance with this type of treatment is low, as few people will willingly subject themselves to the cause of their fears.

This means that, among mysophobes, self-help techniques can be the most effective in bringing about a cure. They’re effective, they’re private, and they give the person with the phobia the keys to seizing control of his life.

Types of Self-Help Treatment

The person suffering from the fear of germs may use a variety of self-help techniques in a treatment course. These techniques can be used to reduce the overall stress in his life, and to calm fears related to germs in the heat of the moment as he undergoes a panic attack. These techniques may include:

• Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)
• Diaphragmatic breathing
• Visualization
• Meditation
• Yoga
• Laughter therapy

The person with mysophobia can then customize the treatment program to make maximum use of the techniques that work, while eschewing the techniques that don’t help that much. This means that the program is completely customizable, allowing him to attack the root of his fears with the methods that have the maximum effect.